19 times Australian and reigning champion, Gary Phillips has taken over the points lead of the 400 Thunder Pro Alcohol Championship after winning last weekend’s Santos Summer Thunder event at Sydney Dragway in his Lucas Oils Funny Car.
It was an action packed day of racing that saw the Lucas Oils team complete 8 runs between the two cars. The dedication of the entire team enabled a strong performance showing in the Pro Alcohol Funny Car, where Gary recorded low ET of the event in his final round win over Wayne Price with a 5.456 at only 259mph after getting off the throttle before the finish line.
“The team worked so well together, in trying circumstances. To do 8 runs in one day with the cars racing back-to-back is not a small feat, and the outcome wouldn’t have been possible without everyone on the team,” said Phillips.
“The funny car was so smooth throughout the race. We tried a couple of things on the first 2 runs, then went back to our normal set up after that. While we didn’t start out the day with the greatest numbers, the car didn’t shake the tyres at all on any of the runs, and it just kept running faster every time. Considering the conditions, we were more than happy with having a 6 hundredths buffer over the next quickest car”.
However, the same couldn’t be said for the Lucas Oils Studebaker. After finishing in a strong 3rd position just two weeks ago at Willowbank, the car was plagued with severe tyre shake each time it hit the track.
“There’s something going on with the car that we can’t put our finger on at the moment. We’re going to go through the car with a fine tooth comb, and hopefully get back to our recent, consistent 5.80 performances at our next event,” said Phillips.
Winning the event with the funny car was particularly special, as Gary had recently teamed up with Hoosier Racing Tire, and the Sydney event marked the beginning of the new partnership.
“We’ve been running Hoosiers for many years now, so teaming up with a world leader in tyre technology is going to be a great step for our team. This now provides us the opportunity to test new products, and enhance brand awareness in the racing world.,” Phillips said.
2017 also marks the 20th anniversary of the Phillips family’s partnership with Lucas Oil Products.
“20 years is a huge milestone in motorsports. There haven’t been too many sponsorships in drag racing history that have lasted as long as ours has. Forrest, Charlotte, Morgan and everyone at Lucas Oil Products involved with our marketing program worldwide, have made our success possible. Not only do we share a great racing relationship with them, they are also close, personal friends of ours. We are proud to represent them in the true championship winning fashion that they deserve, and we are grateful for everything they’ve done for our family, and look forward to continuing our relationship with them and celebrating even more success” commended Phillips.
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– Gary Phillips Racing media release
